Infectious Diseases

By Jeff Kitchen


Bacteria and Viruses are commonly found in nature ,but not all are harmful.
Transmitted Via
  • Food Borne
  • Person-Person
  • Air Borne

Vaccine- A preparation of weakened or killed pathogens. When injected a vaccine makes the body produce an immunity to the disease.
Antibiotic- Compounds that block the growth and reproduction of bacteria. They can be used to cure many bacterial diseases.


Bacterial Diseases
  • Can be cured by Antibiotics and prevented by vaccines
  • Can Reproduce on their own
  • Ex: Common Cold, E. Coli

Bacteria can produce disease in two ways. Some damage cells and tissues by breaking down the cells for food. The second way bacteria infect the body is that they release toxins that interfere with normal host activities. Bacterial Diseases can be transmitted Via Food Borne, Person to Person, and Air Borne.


external image bacteria5.jpg



Viral Diseases
  • Can be prevented by vaccination
  • Cannot reproduce on its own
  • Ex: HIV, Influenza, Hepatitis, Polio
Like Bacteria, Viruses produce disease by disrupting the body's normal equilibrium. Viruses attack specific cells in the body.


external image 060104_hiv_virus_02.jpg


Here is a link to an animation about how a HIV virus infects a cell and replicates...

http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/disease/hiv_life_cycle.html